The Team

With overall responsibility for the sales and purchasing within the business, customers are guaranteed service with a smile from Gary, suppliers, however are guaranteed a tougher time !! With four children still at home (Ryan, Harry, Adam & Georgia) , Gary is a busy father (taxi !!) and proud husband to Caroline. He still has a season ticket at Old Trafford and while he doesn’t go up as often as he would like he wastes no time in chipping in with the healthy football banter often floated around the office on a Monday morning. Predominantly a beer drinker, with a fondness for a nice cold Corona (preferably on the beach !!) in the summer, normally a pint of ale in the winter and lots of Guinness on his annual outing to the Cheltenham Festival !! Current favourite beers include Camden Pale Ale, Navigation Ghost Rider & Curious Brew.

“Work hard and play hard” is James’s motto. Passionate about the quality of the service we offer, sometimes finds it hard to switch off from work. Manages the Finance and Operations side of the business. A keen squash player and runner in his spare time, he is usually to be found running anything up to marathon distance at the weekend, whilst hopefully finding time to spend with his wife Jill and three children Claire, Tom & Louise . Favourite drink used to be cask ale (lots of) but with increased age comes a sense of refinement, and is now more likely to be seen with a glass of chilled white wine in his hand (pretentious, moi?!)”

Responsible for the development and introduction of new and existing outlets in the Leicester/Rutland area...Joined the company over five years ago, having previously worked for 4 multinational companies and one national wholesaler in numerous sales and training positions. Loves the flexibility of working for a regional wholesaler. An open, honest, enthusiastic and reliable salesman always ready to help where possible. Iain also demonstrates a good sense of humour.

Married to Diane, who like Iain is also a mancunian.

When not working Iain enjoys music, cooking, social golf and football.

Favourite drink is Guinness having worked for them for almost 15 years. Second favourite is St Austell tribute which is drunk in copious amounts, when visiting Devon or Cornwall.

A highly motivated individual that has years of experience firstly owning her own free house for 14 years, before working at Classic Drinks, InBev, Greene King and has now recently jonied the Libra team.

On a personal level she loves to socialise, go on holidays and ride her horse, but like most women her favourite hobby is to shop.

Outside of work Joe plays a lot of sport, mainly football but also prone to the odd game of golf as well. He's a Glastonbury regular and enjoys discovering new music at some of Nottingham’s brilliant gig venues, whilst Oasis remain his favourite band. Somewhat bucking the trend at Libra he follows the blue half of Manchester when it comes to his football team, much to Gary’s dismay.

You can often find Joe in the Bread and Bitter in Mapperley sipping on his favourite pint, Screech Owl, or trying one of the increasingly diverse craft ales in the Lace Market.

Libra Drinks brought Paul into the fold in January 2013 with specific instructions to ‘convert the Northern reaches of Libra’s sales geography from mass produced, chemical, tasteless, fizzy and insipid beers and lagers to some of the finest traditional beers that are this great countries heritage, along with the new wave of lovingly produced hand-crafted beers. Paul is lucky in his task that beer is not only his job but his passion – as portrayed in his ever increasing waistline, but it is a sacrifice he is willing to make in order to bring an educated quality drinking experience to the masses.

Paul has been in the trade for well over 20 years, picking up Cask Marque and W.S.E.T. qualifications along the way at other less ‘enlightened’ wholesalers before finding his spiritual home here with the like-minded Libra team.

When Paul isn’t developing the taste-buds of the unfortunate he can still be found on the playing fields of England kicking lumps out of the opposition at both football and rugby, this despite his tender years and aforementioned girth. And if Saturday comes and there is no game to be had you will find him at beautiful downtown Bramall Lane watching the red & white wizards – Sheffield United – just like his beer, no mass produced chemical football team for this lad!

Keeping Paul grounded and from getting too carried away with his job are his partner Debbie and their children Milly, Evie, Lewis & Harry. Thankfully though, Debbie is only too happy to assist in any wine tasting event which allows Paul the opportunity to indulge in his favourite pastime!

Emma has over a decade of experience within On-trade wine, and has helped many customer to improve their offering, increase their volumes and satisfy consumer demands. Emma has worked with country inns, city style-bars, award-winning restaurants, stately home hotels and international airports, developing their wine lists and boosting their business. Staying on-trend and ahead of the competition requires inside knowledge and a passion for wine. Emma attends global trade shows and has been trained by the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) to an advanced level. Emma was raised in a family-run pub business that grew into a regional multiple group. Married to Gary with a busy family home they have 4 children!! Favourite tipples are “Some Young Punks 'Passion Has Hot Red Lips' Cabernet Shiraz” and a Ginger Mojito made with Havana 7yr old & fiery Ginger Beer.

Sara came to us from Navigation Brewery in Nottingham where she spent nearly four years. Most of her spare time is taken up running around after her 3 grown up children (taxi). She enjoys her holidays and going out with friends. Her favourite tipple is English Rebel and she is quite partial to a Prosecco!

I have spent the last 20 years of my career in retail but the last 10 were working for Boots in the In-Store team producing POS to all the Boots stores, I enjoy running although I do use that term loosely and I am clearly a little bit mad as I keep signing up for running half marathons! Other than that I am married to Joe and spend most of my time running round after 2 teenage children. I love visiting Scotland and the Lake District to see the amazing scenery and getting some long walks in with a few pubs on the way, although I am not a massive drinker my favourite is either fruit cider or Jack Daniels.

Kirsty is a relative newcomer to the Drinks trade, she is committed to providing excellent customer, coming from a Customer service/Marketing background. Married to Jim, Mum to two teenage daughters and dog Kauto Star. Enjoys a drop of red wine in the Winter months, and a glass or two of suitably chilled Macon Villages in Summer.

Although new to the drinks industry, Matt has spent most of his working life in a wholesale and distribution environment. Outside of work Matt enjoys his sports, and although approaching the twilight of his ‘career’, can still be found chasing a football around as often as he can. Unlike most of his colleagues, Matt supports his local football team, Notts County, and spends most Saturdays cheering them on.He’s recently moved back to Nottingham and is enjoying discovering the many new pubs the city has to offer, usually opting for a local pale ale and pack of pork scratchings.

Jo has been with the company for over 8 years now, working in Sales and Purchasing Support. It involves a wide range of key responsibilities including - Customer sales reports, Wine Menus, Purchase Ledger, Bi-Monthly Brochure, Cask Ale and maintaining the website.
Improving fitness is a key objective for Jo. Enjoys a good walk exploring the amazing countryside we have, with friends, both locally and during short breaks away. Having a pub on route is always an added bonus. She loves to travel, exploring different places – her aim is to visit as many places as she can before becoming too decrepit to fully appreciate it !! To unwind she enjoys a nice glass or 2 of wine, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc being one of her favourites, or a pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord.

Edd is the Purchasing and Stock Manager at Libra. Edd used to be the Field Sales Rep for the Nottinghamshire area and, after a year away working for a Regional Brewer he re-joined the team. His great product knowledge and attention to service help make sure we have all the right products for our customers. Husband to Ali and Dad to Joshua and Eva, means he doesn’t get out as much as he used to but enjoys the occasional trip to some of Nottingham’s craft beer and ale bars, with Sierra Nevada and Lagunitas being his current favourites from the American craft beer scene. Manchester United fan and aspiring DIYer…

On returning back to the UK after living many years in Spain, Dawn joined us over 6 years ago - now being one of the longest serving members of the team.

In her spare time she enjoys travelling with her partner and their two dogs in their motor home along the British coastline stopping at many country pubs. Her goal whilst working here is to work through the vast array of wines that we currently stock!

Operations Team

Rick Colman – Goods Out Manager

Rick has been with us since day one, transferring across from Castle Rock Brewery. There is nothing Rick doesn’t know about our huge range of products whether its cask ale or fine red wine – these being his favourites!! Hailing from North London, Rick is an avid Arsenal fan and joins in the office football banter every week. Loves a pint of Harvest Pale after a long, busy day ensuring all our orders are picked and loaded correctly for the following day.

Aaron Thorpe – Distribution Manager

Aaron started with us 6 years ago as a driver and soon progressed to Transport Manager, tasked with making sure all the deliveries go out on time.

Aaron used to play a lot of football many years ago, but now chooses the non contact sport of golf, with the 19th hole as his favourite.
While at the bar it will be more than likely you will see Aaron with an ice cold cider – Stowford Press or Thatchers Gold preferably, but from time to time he has been seen with a pint of real ale like Harvest Pale or Screech Owl in his hand.

Scott Carnelley – Goods In Manager

Originally employed as a drivers mate over 5 years ago, Scott spent two years on the road as part of the famous dream team with Ray, before progressing to front of house in the warehouse where Scott spent two further years receiving deliveries in and overseeing the loading of our vehicles.

In October 2013 Scott was promoted to Goods In Manager - it is now Scott’s main role in the business to ensure all the goods you require, whether it be a 9g harvest pale or a 1kg of Stewarts coffee are in stock/readily available for delivery.

Out of work Scott spends most of my time trawling up and down the country with his son, as he not only plays football every Monday, Wednesday and Sunday he also likes to go and watch as many games as he possibly can – especially Nottingham Forest.

When he does get a little time to himself Scott does like a nice crisp pint of Peroni.

Nigel Tinsley – Technical Services Manager

Nigel left Molson Coors after 16 years in September 2014 to set up our Technical Services department.

Outside of work he likes to attend the gym when time permits as being married to Loretta, father of two and a permanent foster carer – life can be an be pretty hectic in the Tinsley household! When relaxing his favourite beer is Doombar and he is also enjoying a lot of the great new craft beers from all over the world - however if he’s making a night of it, it usually ends witha few Jagers! The last and probably most (least) important aspect of his life is watching his beloved mighty (not so sadly these days) Leeds United!

Kurt Tinsley - - Technical Services Assistant

Kurt has recently joined the team. His favourite sport is football, supporting Chelsea, and also is 3rd dan blackbelt in Tae Kwondo. Kurt's first sip of beer was Newcastle Brown at the age of 4, and now enjoys a pint of Carling or a vodka. He has been in a relationship for four years and soon to become a father of a baby girl.

Warehousing & Distribution

Paul Brooks – Warehouse Manager

As one of the longest serving drivers, Paul has now moved over to the warehouse, he is responsible for overseeing a wide variety of activities, including, planning, coordinating and monitoring the receipt, order assembly and dispatch goods.

With two young children, Paul is kept busy outside of work coaching his son’s football team, enjoying family time and keeping up with his daughter’s hectic social life (usually as taxi driver).

Paul enjoys sampling the local produce (food & beer) during family holidays, whether it would be Sharps Doombar in Cornwall or Adnams Broadside in Norfolk.

Kevin Allison – Driver

Honest, reliable and polite - AKA Smiler!!

Always has a smile on his face, Kevin has a good sense of humour and a friendly approach. Married with lots of kids and at last count 17 grandchildren, Christmas is expensive for this one!!

His favourite drinks are Jagermeister and vodka with Red Bull.

John Carnelley – Driver

John is one of our long serving drivers who previously worked for Castle Wines.

He has three grown up children and at the last count six grandchildren.

John spends his spare time down at his caravan at the east coast with his wife where he loves walking his 3 dogs on the beach.

Favourite tipple is a pint of real ale, however, the odd glass of wine doesn’t go a miss either !

Stuart Doris – Driver

Stuart is one of our more distinctive members of staff with his colourful array of body art

Married to Debbie, a college lecturer. He enjoys spending the majority of his free time with his wife riding their motorcycles and spending weekends at bike rallies.

Stuart is the president of Mayhem M.C.C which is an East Midlands based motorcycle club.

His favourite drink is Jack Daniels.

Bob Bamford – Driver

Bob likes his sport – in particular football, darts & pool. He spends most of his downtime with his rod – fishing!! Loves a cold pint of Fosters with the lads at the pub.

Dean Thraves – Driver

Dean has worked at Libra Drinks for 3 years as a driver, starting as a Christmas temp and impressing that much he was asked to stay on in the new year. Now he’s also out and about one day a week as a rep visiting customers old and new, ensuring that they are receiving the best service and products for their individual business from Libra.

Dad to Mason, Lauren and Alex.

As Nottingham Forest so called biggest fan he goes to games when he can. Also has a love of scootering with a signed panel on his Vespa by Physco himself.

Having recently moved from the city to the countryside he has discovered a new found taste for wine, Rioja in particular and a tall glass of Tanqueray gin and tonic. Now massively under the thumb to Lisa.

Tomas Durica – Warehouse

“Big Tom” or “Rylan” as he is fondly referred to joined us in 2012 and has slotted in well to the operations team at Libra. He likes to spend his spare time going to the Cinema and is regular at the Gym. His favourite tipples are Jack Daniels & has been known to drink the odd Jagerbomb!

Paul Lyon – Warehouse/Drayman

Paul takes pride in the level of service he provides our customers and he believes a smile goes a long way. Out of work he spends most of his spare time in the gym, weight lifting, swimming and running. When not in the gym he likes to relax with a spot of fishing or golf. An avid Nottingham Forest fan. Paul’s favourite tipples are Doom Bar and Woodford’s Reserve.